The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence

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What about the rest?

Good to know how July 2nd changed our lives.

Non-fiction to read for pleasure

Readable, entertaining, questionable

A Tribute to 56 Heroes.....

The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence
Dennis Brindell Fradin , and Michael McCurdy
Manufacturer: Walker Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Signers of the Declaration of Independence

ASIN: 0802788491

Book Description

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

For more than 225 years these words have inspired men and women in countries the world over to risk everything in pursuit of these lofty ideals. When they first appeared in our nation’s birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence, they were a call to action for a colony on the brink of rebellion. The 56 men who dared to sign their names to this revolutionary document knew they were putting their reputations, their fortunes, and their very lives on the line by boldly and publicly declaring their support for liberty and freedom. As Benjamin Franklin said as he signed his name, “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately!”

Who were these men who are the first heroes of our nation? Award-winning team of author Dennis Brindell Fradin and illustrator Michael McCurdy bring their considerable talents together to illuminate the lives of these valiant men, ranging from the poorest farmers to the wealthiest merchants, whose dauntless courage inspired thousands of colonists to risk all for freedom.

Customer Reviews:

What about the rest?.......2004-12-16

This is a good book for a history class because it gives a lot of information on every person who signed the Declaration of Independence. Everyone knows that John Hancock signing the Declaration but what about the others? This book clues you in on everyone and their lives. I gave it four stars because it was good and it had a lot of information.

Good to know how July 2nd changed our lives........2003-12-15

John Adams thought July 2nd would be the day Americans would celebrate, not the 4th. That is just one detail Fradin and McCurdy bring out. History is so easily made bland, but their work breaks many assumptions apart in an easy to digest way. An important book for students and a good book for adults, with enough information between the lines to keep some of the rebelion alive. History is made not by dates, but by people decidedly taking steps toward multiple goals. I recommend this book.

Non-fiction to read for pleasure.......2003-03-12

Very readable and enlightening story of all the signers of the Declaration. Fradin is a master of choosing just the right details about the lives of these men to bring them alive and interest his readers. It will also strike young people how precarious the lives of women and children were.

Readable, entertaining, questionable.......2003-02-18

This reads like a storybook, telling a great deal about the men who signed our declaration. Fillng in gaps in the men's stories, it is also a lively read about life in revolutionary times.

The author seems to try to be even-handed, saying that we will never really know about Betsy Ross's involvement in the flag, for instance, but that she and her family were indeed important at the time. Reasonable.

It is all the more disturbing, in this seemingly well-researched book, to have Fradin assert that Thomas Jefferson certainly was the father of Sally Hemings' children. Just like Betsy Ross, no one knows. (DNA evidence was found to link a Jefferson male with ONE of her known children--but there were 25 other Jeffersons in the area at the time.) Unfortunately now a good many of Fradin's other assertions are suspect.

I just don't have the time to check every single fact in a history book; I want to enjoy the book, itself. I'll be reading this volume with a much more critical eye now, and cautious about recommending it to children.

A Tribute to 56 Heroes............2002-12-16

As Dennis Brindell Fradin tells us in his illuminating introduction: "...The signers of the Declaration, rather than those who voted for independence, have long been honored as the nation's founders. That is because, by placing their names on the Declaration, they announced to the world their willingness to risk everything for the cause of independence. The British targeted the fifty-six signers for special punishment. The homes of twelve signers were burned, and nearly twenty of them lost much of what they owned. According to some estimates, nine signers died as a result of hardships they suffered during the Revolution. Yet not one signer changed his stance on independence. All of them kept the promise they had made in the Declaration of Independence-that they would stake their "Lives...Fortunes, and...Sacred Honor" on their country's cause." Meet America's first fifty-six heroes whose belief in independence was so strong, each was willing to risk everything for freedom. Mr Fradin cleverly divides this book into thirteen sections, one for each colony, and begins each chapter by first discussing the background and history of the colony, before detailing the life of each signer. Each fascinating biographical sketch includes details about their lives, both before and after they signed the Declaration, and the contributions each made to America's independence. Mr Fradin's easy to read and intriguing text, engages, and is enhanced by illustrator, Michael McCurdy's evocative artwork. Together, word and art inspires, and brings the stories of these brave men to life on the page. Perfect for youngsters 10 and older, The Signers celebrates the triumph of the human spirit, and includes a readable copy of the Declaration of Independence, an Afterword, Bibliography, and Index to augment lessons and further enlighten. This is non-fiction at its very best, and definitely a living history lesson that shouldn't be missed. "Independence forever!"

The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence

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The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence
Dennis Brindell Fradin
Manufacturer: Scholastic, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000T9P444

Amazon.com

Alan Schom doesn't think very highly of Napoleon, but he nevertheless has written an engrossing account of the little Corsican's escape from Elba, return to power, and defeat at Waterloo. (This period actually lasted a bit longer than 100 days, but who's counting?) Bonaparte, in Schom's view, was a despot who placed nepotistic interests ahead of national ones. He was plainly not good for the country he ruled, according to the author. But his military skills were exceptional, and he may have carried off a victory on the Belgian fields if his underlings hadn't bungled their duties. Schom breaks no new historical ground with One Hundred Days, but he tells his tale well.

Book Description

On February 26, 1815, Napoleon, exiled Emperor of France--now dressed in a simple green uniform as Colonel of the Grenadiers--stepped aboard the brig L'Inconstant to the wildly enthusiastic cheers of his Elban subjects. Three days later, having barely avoided a British warship and a French naval vessel loyal to the Crown, the L'Inconstant traded the white flag of Elba for the French Tricolor as the rocky coast of the Cap d'Antibes came into view. With his return to French soil, accompanied only by a small force of one thousand men, Napoleon had set into motion the momentous events that would, over the next one hundred days, propel Europe once again into total war, ending only with the routing at Waterloo of the seemingly invincible Grande Armee, and Napoleon's final exile on St. Helena. In One Hundred Days, Alan Schom offers us an epic tale of intrigue, high drama, and ultimate tragedy. By turns harrowing and exhilarating--and always charged with an undercurrent of impending doom--One Hundred Days is nothing less than the definitive account of Napoleon's final campaign, told with the characteristic panache of one of our premier narrative historians. Landing unopposed near Cannes, Napoleon and his tiny army began their march through a hostile countryside impoverished by years of war, famine, and conscription. But gradually, thanks mainly to the Emperor's legendary charisma, thousands of men joined his ranks, swelling the force to nearly 20,000 soldiers. By the time these impressive columns reached Paris, Louis XVIII had fled the city and only crowds and parades remained to greet Napoleon's seemingly inevitable return to power. But fate was against him this time: the allies, stunned by what appeared to be a remarkable reversal of fortune, were already on the move. All roads now led to Waterloo. Besides being a lively and detailed look at Napoleon's final months as one of the most feared--and revered--men in Europe, One Hundred Days also offers vivid portraits of the many complex and fascinating personalities who surrounded him. Schom has mined a rich trove of little-known diaries, memoirs, military dispatches, and letters to allow this diverse cast of characters, whenever possible, to speak for themselves. He brings to life in compelling fashion all of Napoleon's generals, his enemies, his ministers, even the common soldiers who fought in the apocalyptic showdown in Belgium. And, of course, there is the omnipresent, titanic figure of Napoleon himself, readying the invasion, mustering troops, and, amid the frenzy and confusion of the final battle, coming to the agonizing realization that all was over. "We have taken Napoleon's hat," wrote Metternich to his daughter a few days after Waterloo, "It is to be hoped that we will now end in capturing the man himself." Within a month, the defeated Emperor was aboard the English frigate Bellerophon bound for exile, and thus dropped, in Marshal Ney's words, "the final curtain of the Napoleonade." More than an account of one of the formative events in modern European history, this book adds a human dimension to a story that has, over the years, assumed mythic proportions.

Customer Reviews:

Napoleon hater go at it again.......2004-08-21

I found this book to be very readable and once again, I also found it to be another one of Alan Schom's anti-Napoleon treatment. I am bit amazed that someone of Mr. Schom's talent as a writer and historian would be wasted on such bias effort. I would like to ask Mr. Schom if Napoleon have done anything good or decent in his life since he really like to paint this French Emperor and one of history's greatest military commanders as little better then petty dictator with delusion of grandeur with a Hitler complex.

Mr. Schom would probably find a greater acceptence among Napoleonic readers if he would be more fair in his assessments of the facts and characters. When you are too bias against your subject, then its pretty clear to any reader that you got a grudge against it.

The book overall, doesn't add anything new to anyone who is well read on the subject of Waterloo campaign. For experience readers, this book will end up in your local used book store. For casual readers, there are many anti-Napoleonic traps that author insert to make claims that Napoleon was nothing more then an early 19th century misanthrope.

PS: I believed HMS Bellerophon was a ship of a line, not a frigate.

Good Intro to the Waterloo Campaign.......2003-04-15

If you do not know much about Napoleon, esp. the Waterloo campaign, this is a great book for its simplicity in the events leading up to (and including) the battle of Waterloo.

Historical Page-Turner.......2001-01-09

Schom is no great fan of Napolean, as his recent biography of the little Corsican demonstrates. However, I thought in reading this book that he provided a fairly even-handed, readable description of a fascinating period in European history. Most readers are familiar with the basic facts: In 1815, the deposed Napolean Bonaparte escaped from his island exile of Elba, and set sail for the shores of his beloved France. The king sent the army to recapture him, but upon encountering their former leader the troops rallied to his cause, and he ultimately marched into Belgium as the rest of Europe looked on in horror at this menace whom they thought was out of their hair forever. An alliance of troops, under the command of Lord Wellington, met up with Napolean on the great battlefield of Waterloo, leading to Bonaparte's final great defeat.

This book provides a very readable account of these 4 months, and effectively demonstrated how close Napolean actually was to pulling off one more great victory. He points out the damaging mistakes by Napolean's inferior generals, leading to his flank being disrupted by General Blucher at a crucial point in the battle. We all know how the story ends, and yet the story was oddly suspenseful in Schom's hands nonetheless. He also paints a very vivid, sometimes unflattering portrait of Napolean, who was not the same man who boldly grasped the crown from the Pope in Notre Dame and proclaimed himself Emperor over 10 years earlier. Napolean was physically weaker, had a slight drool, and lacked the dynamic force of his younger days during the final 100 day campaign.

All in all, while Schom's critical attitude towards Bonaparte has sometimes been open to attack, I thought this was a very entertaining historical narrative for the casual history buff like myself.

Schom succinctly portrays the notables of Napoleonic France........1999-03-05

I attacked One Hundred Days like Wellington attacked the French. Unlike a biography I read of Boney years ago, Schom marvelously and succinctly described the background and characters of a constellation of lesser notables who surrounded the Emperor. In doing so he made understandable the mood of France as Napoleon made his spectacular come back attempt before bowing out of European history. This book filled an enormous gap in my understanding of France as a European power and as a nation at the beginning of the 19th century. My daughter could hardly have made a better choice of gifts for my birthday.

'One Hundred Days'-A book too far!.......1998-10-21

Alan Schom's book, while on the face of it an informative guide to the Waterloo Campaign, is at best misguided and at worst completely untrue. Although he paints an interesting view as to the relationships between Napoleon and his brothers many of his other comments are contradicted by all other books on the subject. He says in his passage on the trial of Marshal Ney that this was one of the most hated men in the army, and yet every other authority describes Ney as the darling of the men, described as the 'Bravest of the Brave'.His view that Napoleon was certain to be defeated is also seriously flawed. Both Austria and Russia were more concerned with neutralising each other than with fighting Napoleon. David Hamilton-Williams in his book 'The Fall Of Napoleon' has hard evidence that these countries would have made peace with Napoleon had he won Waterloo. This book is fatally flawed in that it seems unable to give any credit to anyone who rallied to Napoleon in the campaign which he so nearly won against all the odds.

One Hundred Days : Napoleons Road to Waterloo

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One Hundred Days : Napoleons Road to Waterloo
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Manufacturer: New York Oxford University Press 1993.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LTKSZM

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